Where can you find the most active places in America?

How active is the U.S.? According to a 2012 study, not very. But these 25 locations defy the trend.

Americans being active

How active is the U.S.? A 2012 study by The Lancet analyzed levels of physical activity in countries around the world and found that 40.5 percent of adults in the U.S. were physically inactive. That's higher than several other developed countries, including Australia (37.9 percent), Canada (33.9 percent) and Germany (28 percent).

But within the U.S., levels of physical activity vary widely. In Vermont, for instance, 65.3 percent of adults were found to exercise regularly, compared to 46.5 percent in Delaware. With that in mind, health data site HealthGrove used 2015 data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to find the most active cities in America.

The CDC gathers data on a variety of health measures through the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which surveys more than 400,000 adults every year. One of the questions asked is "During the past month, did you participate in any physical activities?" HealthGrove ranked metropolitan areas by the percentage of respondents who answered "yes" to this question, and included responses to other related questions for context. Note that BRFSS reports data for metropolitan statistical areas, which may span multiple states. The Logan metro area, for instance, consists of counties in both Utah and Idaho, even though the city of Logan is only in Utah.

Western states dominate the ranking. Eight of the top 10 most active cities are located in the West, with four in California alone. Although Southern metro areas generally have the lowest levels of physical activity, some do make the top 50 most active, including Raleigh, North Carolina, and Charleston, South Carolina.

Note: Ties are broken by the percentage of respondents who said they participated in 150 minutes or more of aerobic physical activity per week.

#25. Duluth, Minnesota-Wisconsin

Percent physically active in the past month: 79.7%

Percent engaged in 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week: 61.4%Percent participated in muscle strengthening exercises more than twice per week: 28%

#24. Burlington-South Burlington, Vermont

Percent physically active in the past month: 79.8%

Percent engaged in 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week: 59.3%Percent participated in muscle strengthening exercises more than twice per week: 35.4%

#23. Billings, Montana

Percent physically active in the past month: 79.9%

Percent engaged in 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week: 60.7%Percent participated in muscle strengthening exercises more than twice per week: 30.6%

#22. Reno, Nevada

Percent physically active in the past month: 80%

Percent engaged in 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week: 60.9%Percent participated in muscle strengthening exercises more than twice per week: 36.4%

#21. Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Percent physically active in the past month: 80.4%

Percent engaged in 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week: 52.6%Percent participated in muscle strengthening exercises more than twice per week: 28.1%

#20. Portland-South Portland, Maine

Percent physically active in the past month: 80.5%

Percent engaged in 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week: 58.7%Percent participated in muscle strengthening exercises more than twice per week: 29.5%

#19. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minnesota-Wisconsin

Percent physically active in the past month: 80.6%

Percent engaged in 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week: 56.4%Percent participated in muscle strengthening exercises more than twice per week: 33.6%

#18. Rapid City, South Dakota

Percent physically active in the past month: 80.6%

Percent engaged in 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week: 58.6%Percent participated in muscle strengthening exercises more than twice per week: 32.7%

#17. Spokane-Spokane Valley, Washington

Percent physically active in the past month: 80.7%

Percent engaged in 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week: 56.7%Percent participated in muscle strengthening exercises more than twice per week: 36%

#16. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, California

Percent physically active in the past month: 81%

Percent engaged in 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week: 56.6%Percent participated in muscle strengthening exercises more than twice per week: 33.1%

#15. Logan, Utah-Idaho

Percent physically active in the past month: 81.1%

Percent engaged in 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week: 57.8%Percent participated in muscle strengthening exercises more than twice per week: 34.2%

#14. Silver Spring-Frederick-Rockville, Maryland

Percent physically active in the past month: 81.2%

Percent engaged in 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week: 55.8%Percent participated in muscle strengthening exercises more than twice per week: 36.3%

#13. Albuquerque, New Mexico

Percent physically active in the past month: 81.4%

Percent engaged in 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week: 58.5%Percent participated in muscle strengthening exercises more than twice per week: 36.6%

#12. Colorado Springs, Colorado

Percent physically active in the past month: 81.5%

Percent engaged in 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week: 57.8%Percent participated in muscle strengthening exercises more than twice per week: 35.4%

#11. Boise, Idaho

Percent physically active in the past month: 81.6%

Percent engaged in 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week: 58.9%Percent participated in muscle strengthening exercises more than twice per week: 32.7%

#10. Manhattan, Kansas

Percent physically active in the past month: 81.7%

Percent engaged in 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week: 53.9%Percent participated in muscle strengthening exercises more than twice per week: 39.2%

#9. Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, California

Percent physically active in the past month: 81.7%

Percent engaged in 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week: 61.6%Percent participated in muscle strengthening exercises more than twice per week: 35.5%

#8. Lincoln, Nebraska

Percent physically active in the past month: 81.8%

Percent engaged in 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week: 57.1%Percent participated in muscle strengthening exercises more than twice per week: 34.8%

#7. San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco, California

Percent physically active in the past month: 82.3%

Percent engaged in 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week: 58%Percent participated in muscle strengthening exercises more than twice per week: 31.1%

#6. Provo-Orem, Utah

Percent physically active in the past month: 82.5%

Percent engaged in 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week: 56.8%Percent participated in muscle strengthening exercises more than twice per week: 37.6%

#5. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colorado

Percent physically active in the past month: 82.8%

Percent engaged in 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week: 59.7%Percent participated in muscle strengthening exercises more than twice per week: 35.5%

#4. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, Oregon-Washington

Percent physically active in the past month: 83.2%

Percent engaged in 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week: 60.2%Percent participated in muscle strengthening exercises more than twice per week: 31.4%

#3. Oakland-Hayward-Berkeley, California

Percent physically active in the past month: 83.6%

Percent engaged in 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week: 61%Percent participated in muscle strengthening exercises more than twice per week: 33.8%

#2. Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Washington

Percent physically active in the past month: 83.8%

Percent engaged in 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week: 60%Percent participated in muscle strengthening exercises more than twice per week: 33%

#1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California

Percent physically active in the past month: 84.2%

Percent engaged in 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week: 61.9%Percent participated in muscle strengthening exercises more than twice per week: 39.1%

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